I have a question. Won't you automatically be dinged if the job requires an "active membership with state bar X" since we haven't taken the bar yet? I know I have had this problem at the county level, HR just dings you automatically if you are not admitted yet.

No I don't regret it, but that's because being a lawyer is really what I want to do. I had to work my a** off to get great grades (top 10%) and still had a hard time getting a job this year because of the market. I came into law school wanting to be a a D.A., but sought out firm jobs as well last OCI season because I thought my grades could get me a better paying job. That didn't work out, but I think its for the best. I now have a post-bar internship lined up with the D.A.'s office in a county that I always dreamed of working in. So although this is not exactly what I expected, because I will be working in an unpaid position after graduation, since its what I want to do, I am willing to make sacrifices to make things work.

My only regret is not pressuring my school to up my scholarship to full tuition after first year.

I think if you plan on going to law school to become rich, don't go. If you are going because you want a career as a lawyer, even if not in the highest paid position, I would go. Also, in hindsight, I would only go to law school if I got a scholarship that was 80% of tuition or more. My loans for undergrad & law school are about 120,000, and that makes me nervous. I can't even imagine going to law school w/o a scholarship.

^^^Bummer, I have an interview for a post-bar internship tomorrow. It is where I want to eventually work, so I figure that I can (1) see if I can get hired when they have an opening if I intern there (2) if it becomes clear that they are never hiring, get some experience while applying for other jobs. I think that is the best bet for most graduates right now that want to do public interest law and haven't had any luck in the market.

Dudeman's attitude is why people hate lawyers. I don't know whether to be upset by his cockiness or feel bad for him because he lacks the ability to empathize with others. Must be a pretty lonely feeling.

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with a student stuck in a crappy job market using every tool available to improve his chances.

If you want to do Biglaw when you graduate DO NOT do family law. It will freeze you out of the market and you will be labeled "that public interest person". I did this my 2L year, big mistake. Although I had the credentials to land a biglaw gig, but that was the main contention that came up at interviews. My family law work was really rewarding, and I would practice it if I can ever find a firm that is hiring. Maybe a few years ago doing family law wouldn't hurt you, but nowadays, I wouldn't risk it. So figure out which you would rather do, and do it.

I agree that doing DA work may not hurt you as badly because many students do this to get litigation experience. Family law is a completely different animal, and you will actually be at a disadvantage when applying to non-family law gig because you learn a lot about a system that is different than traditional civil litigation. Just my two cents.

I am a 3L and I got married during winter break. While I am happy that I am married, I think the timing was not right. I was stressed most of break getting the final details worked out, did not have a enough time to relax before school started again, and was behind my two weeks of classes due to sheer exhaustion. I have spent the rest of this semester trying to catch up and I am BURNED OUT. Not a nice way to spend a semester. I know how it feels to be impatient and want to be married (I was with my fiance for 6 years before our wedding), but seriously, do it either during summer or once you were done school and the bar. Just my two cents.

So I think my husband finally realized that networking is crucial to law students in this economy. Through his job he knows a really prominent lawyer in the area. After telling the lawyer about me and giving him my resume, the attorney was impressed and surprised that I don't have a job yet. He told my husband that he wants to meet with me in February to figure out what I want to do after I graduate. He said he would then introduce me to one of the equity partners of a large firm, and possibly one of the biggest venture capitalists in the region. And he would possibly offer me a job if those efforts failed.

I am feeling seriously intimidated by this, because although I have a great academic background, my work background has been public interest. Also the equity partner he wants to introduce me to belongs to a firm that rejected me for OCI. If if anyone has some informational interview tips or advice I would very grateful. I don't have any other offers right now, so I really do need to hit this out of the park.